


pandora's box

by sunshinejohnny



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Kissing, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Panic Attacks, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:35:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25689685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinejohnny/pseuds/sunshinejohnny
Summary: yesterday, today, and tomorrow will only be filled by you and me. i'm falling into you, pandora's box.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 4
Kudos: 65





	pandora's box

**Author's Note:**

> donghyuck isn't sure when he falls in love with his best friend, but it was slowly, and then all at once. boy was he fucked.

for as long as mark could remember, donghyuck had liked boys.

he remembers their earlier years of childhood, the days of third grade filled with cut and paste projects and show and tell. on the playground, mark would often find himself cornered by the girls in his class for some reason or another (“it was because you were the cutest third grader at that school you idiot,” donghyuck later told him).

he would always decline their offers to play, opting to staying by his best friends side. it wasn’t that he didn’t _want_ to play with them, but rather donghyuck didn’t want him to. he could always see the hurt look in the younger boys eyes every time another classmate asked him to play. after he’d politely declined yiyeon’s invitation to double dutch, he sat with donghyuck in his bedroom after school, the boys enjoying a movie on mark’s laptop.

“hyuck,” mark began, biting his lip.

“yeah?”

“why don’t you like the other kids at school?”

donghyuck sighed.

“about a month ago, i told jeno i wanted to kiss him. he said i was gross and he-“ donghyuck sniffled, “he told the whole class. they all think i’m messed up. i didn’t see anything wrong with it mark! a bunch of girls have asked to kiss you before, i don’t see why this time it’s different!”

“god hyuck, i wish you’d told me. i’d have told them off for treating you like that.”

donghyuck hung his head, tears falling onto mark’s comforter. mark took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

“hey, it’s you and me hyuck. it’ll always be you and me.”

...

in middle school, donghyuck came out to mark.

“hey mark,” the younger boy fiddled with his fingers, his legs crossed as he sat atop his comforter. mark swiveled the desk chair around the face him.

“what’s up hyuck?”

“mark, i’m gay.” donghyuck sucked in a breath, unsure of what his response would be.

“yeah i know hyuck.”

donghyuck smiled, shaking his head at himself. mark had known him his whole life, of course he knew by now.

“you’re okay with that though, right?”

mark nodded, taking a sip of his soda.

“‘course. i’ve always stood up for you havent i? it’s been you and me for as long as i can remember, and nothings gonna change that.”

the younger sighed in relief. he couldn’t have asked for a better best friend.

...

in high school, donghyuck went to his first pride parade. everyone had been out of school for almost a month, and the lgbt+ club at his school had stayed in touch, organizing a parade for their town. he’d been the first to spread news about it, hoping for a decent turnout.

the afternoon of the event, hyuck found himself at mark’s house, not doing anything in particular. they both mindlessly played mario kart, throwing bananas and shells at each other with no real strategy. donghyuck’s watch beeped, signaling noon.

“mark, the parade is in an hour and a half, i gotta go get ready.” he shut down the wii, (with some complaint from the older boy) and made his way upstairs.

“can we go to the store? i need a flag, and some makeup maybe, glitter would be nice,” donghyuck mumbled to himself, thinking of everything he’d need for his outfit. mark smiled at him, grabbing the car keys from the basket by the door.

“what are you waiting for?”

hyuck smiled at him, following him out the front door. they found themselves downtown, where many paradegoers could already be seen, helping set up. mark pulled up in front of a clothing store, pointing and smiling at the pride flag hanging on the storefront. donghyuck met his gaze and smiled, admiring the warmth in his best friends eyes.

they left the store with one big pride flag, one mini pride flag (mark had insisted on one to show his support), and a hell of a lot of glitter. donghyuck left the store with a huge smile on his face. mark left the store with a credit card in the negatives, but donghyuck’s smile was worth it.

mark stopped at hyuck’s house so the younger could get dressed. as he waited on donghyuck’s bed, he laughed, hearing hyuck’s monologue from the closet.

“mm no, not this one, who the HELL paid for this, mm maybe- actually no, wait YES!”

mark chuckled to himself, pulled out of his thoughts as his best friend emerged from the closet. he had decided on a red t-shirt with folded sleeves, the front reading in white writing “love is love,” with a large heart in the middle. his cheeks were decorated with glitter, and he’d painted a small pride flag on the left side of his face. he also wore black jean shorts with a black belt, and he’d pinned the pride flag around his shoulders like a cape. mark laughed at that.

“hey, you’re like superman almost!” mark smiled. haechan smiled, brushing off his shoulder.

“more like super gay,” he laughed. mark laughed with him. hearing donghyuck's laugh made everything so much better than it already was. he’d do anything to hear that laugh forever.

...

during donghyuck’s sophmore year and mark’s junior year, mark asked donghyuck a question. as the boys finished up their ramen after school, mark kept sighing, as if unsure of what to say.

“mark, you good?” donghyuck turns to ask him as they head up the stairs and back to donghyuck's room.

“hyuck, how do i know if i like boys?”

“mm,” hyuck nods, opening the door to his bedroom.

“well,” he starts, belly flopping onto his bed. mark seats himself at the end of the bed, his whole body tense.

“you can tell when you look at a boy that they’re attractive obviously, but you find yourself wanting to hold their hand maybe, cuddle them, go on dates together, kiss them even. it just... feels right.”

mark nods, biting his lip.

“why markie? is there someone you’re interested in?”

“um... i, yeah i think there is,” mark slowly nods, his shoulders relaxing a bit.

“i bet it’s johnny hyung isn’t it,” donghyuck chuckles. luckily mark doesn’t catch on to the hint of jealousy in his voice.

mark smiles just thinking about the older boy. the captain of his soccer team, mark had first met johnny in his third period history class, and had run into him again at the pride parade. he remembers the warm smile the older boy had given him, the bi flag proudly painted on his cheek. mark sighs at the thought, shoving his hands in the pocket of his sweatshirt and falling backwards to lie down on the bed.

“yeah. yeah, it’s johnny hyung.”

donghyuck leans forward, his face now hovering over mark’s.

“i’m proud of you, you big oaf.”

mark’s smile grows even bigger. donghyuck leans forward and places a big, wet kiss on the older boy’s forehead. mark’s face wrinkles, feigning disgust. he was used to it though.

“love you hyuck.”

“love you too mark.”

...

weeks after, mark was heartbroken to find out that johnny was taken. he remembered walking to his last period that day, seeing jung jaehyun lacing hands with his crush. johnny had pressed a kiss to jaehyun’s cheek, leaving the younger of the two red in the face. sighing, mark walked a bit faster as he pasted the older boys, shoving his hands in his pocket.

“i was stupid to think i’d have a chance with someone like him,” mark groaned, hiding his face in his hands. donghyuck sighed, rubbing soothing circles into mark’s back.

“markie, he wasn’t your person i guess. i’m sure you’ll find someone for you, yeah?”

mark ran his fingers through his hair, glancing up at his best friend.

“hey. you’re the most talented, intelligent, and decent-ish looking person i know,” mark gave him a half hearted punch at the mention of his looks.

“really mark i mean it. anyone would be lucky to have you.”

mark smiled slightly. as his eyes met donghyuck’s, the younger boy could see the hurt written all over his face. but there was a glint if something else. something hopeful, that gave donghyuck reassurance in knowing mark would be okay. he never worried about mark too much anyways. the older boy was much too happy to dwell on anything for too long. it was one of the many things donghyuck loved about him.

...

donghyuck wasn’t okay all the time. and mark was there for him when he wasn’t.

some nights donghyuck would lie awake in his bed, his pillow draped across his head to drown out the yelling from across the hall. those nights his eyes often stung, tears threatening to leave his eyes without his permission. he knew his older sister was across the hall, sleeping peacefully with her headphones drowning out the noise. his twin brothers were sound asleep as well, having slept through tornado sirens before.

donghyuck couldn’t listen to music. it only made the anxiety worse. instead he lie awake, wondering when his parents would stop. wondering if they would realize that he heard them in the late hours of the night, arguing about god knows what. the one night donghyuck had overheard the word “divorce” brought up, he’d had a panic attack and refused to go to school the next day.

this night was one of the worst since then. he could hear his mothers pacing, his fathers stomping. the shuffling of papers and slamming of hands on tables. it was too much. pulling his covers off, he rummaged through his drawers, pulling a red sweatshirt over his head before putting on his sneakers and sliding out his bedroom door, careful not to step on the stairs that creaked. marks house was only a five minute walk, and recently he’d found himself there more nights than others, enjoying the silence of the household during the night.

normally he wouldn’t bother knocking, but since it was nearing later hours of the night, he figured he’d rather not be mistaken for an intruder. mark answered the door with a banana in hand, his black hair messily hanging in front of his face.

“you need a haircut,” donghyuck frowns before stepping past mark and into the kitchen.

“they were arguing again?”

donghyuck froze, his hands on the handle of the fridge. he stood for a minute before deciding on a yogurt drink, grabbing a strawberry one before shutting the door.

“maybe they were,” donghyuck sighed, downing his drink in one go. mark threw away his banana peel, running his fingers through his hair (which was really a disservice to himself).

“i’m sorry hyuck,” mark sighed, following the younger boy up the stairs and to his bedroom.

“don’t have to apologize. nothin’ you can do about it.”

mark nodded slightly, sitting at the end of his bed. donghyuck had already settled himself under the covers, taking up most of the bed. mark pushed his foot over, as a silent gesture to get him to move over. lying down next to the boy, he was cautious, not knowing what to say.

“hyuckie, i love you. you know that right?”

“yes mark.”

“i’m sorry-“

“i told you stop _apologizing,”_ donghyuck snapped, letting out a shaky sigh. his back was facing mark, and he’d laid as close to the edge of the bed as possible.

“i know you’re hurting hyuck,” mark continued, unfazed by his sharp remarks. a sniff was all that came from the younger boy before he turned to face mark, burying his face in the crook of his shoulder.

“there you go hyuck. i’m right here. mark’s right here okay? i’m not going anywhere.”

“please don’t,” donghyuck pleads through quiet sobs.

“please don’t be like them.”

“i’m not them hyuck. i’m not going anywhere.”

...

donghyuck was in love with his best friend.

he wasn’t exactly sure how long he’d noticed how mark’s eyes looked like honey when the sun hit them just right. or how long he’d noticed mark’s nice figure, and how good he looked in the sweatshirts donghyuck had lended him over the years.

he wasn’t sure when he realized the idea of sharing a bed with mark during sleepovers (which they’d done since they were in diapers) made him anxious. or when the sight of mark fresh out the shower, his hair damp and only a towel around his waist made him dizzy, his heart pounding and him wanting nothing more than to pounce on the older boy.

his best guess could’ve been around eighth grade, not really remembering a specific day but rather a specific moment.

he’d been sharing a bag of sour patch with mark after school, both boys strewn across his bed. as they scrolled through their phones, donghyuck watched as mark gave a small grin at an instagram post he’d come across, tossing a sour patch in his mouth. immediately his face scrunched up, the older boy wincing at the sour flavor. his eyebrows were still scrunched as he chewed the candy, still aimlessly scrolling through his phone.

donghyuck laughed at his reaction to the candy, realizing mark had probably been making those faces for at least 15 minutes.

“mark, if these are too sour for you, you don’t have to eat them,” donghyuck chuckled, reaching in the bag to grab another one. as he reached his hand in, he realized there were only green sour patch left.

mark had shrugged at his comment, reaching for his water bottle on the floor.

“you said you bought them for the both of us, so i figured i’d eat at least half. it’s nothing i can’t handle.”

donghyuck grinned, reaching for another candy. as he bit into it, he frowned, realizing mark hadn’t taken another one.

“the green ones are the best ones! you don’t want any?”

“they’re your favorite right? i left them for you hyuck, it’s all good.”

the smile on mark’s face said it all for him. the fact that the older boy had remembered such a small detail, something so insignificant it could be overlooked by anyone else made donghyuck realize that mark was not, in fact, anyone else. he was mark.

mark lee, the friend he’s had since he’d worn diapers, the boy whose house he stayed at more than his own. the person he went to when his favorite video game sold out the day it was released, and who got him ice cream to cheer him up afterwards. the first person he’d come out to, and the first to accept him for who he was.

this boy was his first love.

...

mark was leaving soon.

mark was graduating soon, and going to college. and after all these years, he still hadn’t quite taken a hint from donghyuck, who’d been crushing on him since 8th grade. one afternoon during his junior year, haechan found himself at mark’s bedroom desk, completing an assignment due the next day. nothing out of the ordinary.

mark had since finished his homework, and had been playing around on his guitar, attempting to learn a song by ear. donghyuck looks over to see the older boy focused on his guitar, the sunlight from the window hitting his face just right. his black hair hung in a loose wavy fringe above his eyes, and his eyebrows were scrunched in concentration. he’d look up at donghyuck, realizing the sound of typing had stopped for an unusually long pause. the younger smiled when he met mark’s eyes.

“you look pretty like that mark.”

the words had left his mouth before he could think. donghyuck could feel his cheeks heating up. he hoped mark wouldn’t notice.

“thanks you,” mark gave him a soft smile, running his fingers through his hair before continuing on with his song.

donghyuck let out a loud groan and clawed at his face.

“my GOD markus lee you are dumbest person i’ve ever met,” he sighed, tugging at his hair before shaking it out and taking a deep breath.

mark looked up at him, eyebrows knit with confusion and his mouth hanging slightly open.

“you idiot, i’ve had a crush on you since 8th grade. EIGHTH GRADE! and now you’re leaving for college in a few months and i’m gonna be here without you and-“

“wait, seriously?” mark asked, his fingers coming to a halt on his guitar.

donghyuck rolled his eyes.

“sorry for not noticing, wow. wait seriously? how could i have missed that, we spend every day together,” mark mumbled to himself, placing his guitar down. donghyuck sighed.

“can i kiss you mark lee?”

mark’s cheeks turned red.

“sure hyuck,” he smiled, scratching at his nape.

donghyuck made his way across the room, stopping himself between mark’s legs. placing his hands on mark’s shoulders, the older boy seemed kind of nervous, not really knowing what to do with his hands.

“god you’re adorable,” the younger smiled, placing mark’s hands on his own waist. he wasn’t sure exactly when, but one of them had leaned in, and their faces were now inches apart.

donghyuck smiled, cupping mark’s chin with his hand.

“your eyes are so pretty markie,” he sighed.

“so are yours hyuck.”

and then their lips met. donghyuck almost wanted to pull away, after realizing mark hadn’t moved his lips at all. but mark held his waist tighter and tilted his head just slightly. donghyuck hadn’t expected their kiss to be this magical. he felt as if an entire star had exploded, creating an entire new galaxy, just for the two of them. he smiled as mark became more confident, still not separating, but rather nipping at haechan’s bottom lip. the younger boy smiled as his hands found their way to the nape of mark’s neck, playing with his hair.

eventually mark pulled away first, eager to continue, but wanting to catch his breath. the older boy giggled as he met donghyuck’s gaze.

“what’s so funny?” the younger boy smiled, tilting his head in confusion.

“i’ve never um... that was my first kiss.”

“mark _leeeee_ you’re _kidding_ me!”

mark hung his head slightly, his face turning red.

“as hot as you are, you haven’t kissed anyone until now?”

mark shook his head slightly, letting out a small laugh.

“i know it’s embarrassing,” he chuckled, running his fingers through his hair.

donghyuck gave him a small smile, placing a quick peck on the older boy’s lips.

“it’s alright mark. i’m glad i was your first.”

“wait did you call me hot?” mark chuckled, his cheeks heating up. 

donghyuck rolled his eyes at the older boy.

“yes mark lee i did. you’re _hot,”_ he said, drawing out the word. turning around, he resumed his studies, continuing right where he’d left off. that day, mark left donghyuck’s house with butterflies in his stomach and a huge grin on his face.

. . .

from then on, things only got worse for donghyuck.

summer had finally arrived, greeting the city with almost unbearable heat and nearly empty schedules for the boys. around this time, mark would be competing with his soccer team in summer tourneys, but he’d already signed off to a college team, which didn’t start their season until the fall.

this meant a lot of days were spent in the house, doing nothing in particular. or at least it used to be that way. when mark had arrived at donghyuck’s house on a particular weekend, he greeted donghyuck’s mother with a hug before heading upstairs. he found the younger boy sprawled across his bed, scrolling through instagram. as soon as he laid eyes on the older boy, a smile grew across his face.

“hi mark!”

donhyuck smiled and opened his arms in a half assed attempt at a hug. mark chuckled and leaned down to hug him, the younger boy dragging him down to the bed.

“hyuck, it’s too hot for that,” mark whined, the younger boy’s arms tight around his waist.

“yeah but i missed you,” hyuck whined.

mark chuckled. donghyuck said this just about every time he came over, it was nothing new.

“yeah yeah i missed you too,” mark sighed, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. donghyuck nearly imploded at the gesture. in all the years they had been friends, mark had never done that. donghyuck was usually the one to initiate things. mark could see his cheeks getting red and laughed at the younger boy.

“cat got your tongue?” he smiled, his head now resting on donghyuck's pillow. donghyuck’s face grew even more red. he groaned, hiding his face in the crook of mark’s neck.

“no it’s just, i’m not used to you like this,” he mumbled.

“hyuck, can we- can i kiss you again?”

donghyuck lifted his head, immediately pressing his lips to mark’s. mark smiled as their lips connected, pulling the younger boy closer by his waist. mark sighed into his mouth, tugging at donghyuck’s bottom lip. the younger boy smiled against his lips, wrapping his arms around mark’s neck.

when they finally pulled apart, donghyuck found himself slightly gasping for air, his lips red and swollen, not unlike mark’s own. the older boy smiled at him. a smile he was so familiar with, yet one that was so new to him. his hair slightly mused, lips swollen, and yet he had the same glimmer in his eyes, the same cheeky grin. he said nothing, only returning the smile, burying his face in mark’s shoulder once again. pressing a small kiss to the older boy’s shoulder, he sighed, closing his eyes. he found himself drifting off as mark rubbed slow circles into his back, telling hyuck about his day as he did so. donghyuck could get used to this.

whatever _this_ was.

...

as the weeks went on, they kept to their own routine. a routine that involved two best friends kissing quite often.

donghyuck hadn’t said anything about it, not wanting to mess things up for himself. in all honesty, he had no idea if mark reciprocated his feelings, or if he was just messing around for the fun of it. and donghyuck didn’t care. or at least, he convinced himself he didn’t. if this was the only way he could have mark, he would take what he got. beggars can’t be choosers, right?

he had learned more about mark in the past three weeks than he had possibly his whole life. or at least it felt that way. he learned that mark especially liked being kissed just under his ears, and just by his collarbone. he learned that mark liked having his hair played with and that he liked lacing his fingers with donghyuck’s in the late hours of the night. and he learned that mark was an extremely good kisser, despite not having much experience.

donghyuck wasn’t sure when the gradual changes had become more permanent, but he knows that now whenever he greets mark, he gets a soft peck on the lips, and a stupid grin from the older boy afterwards. not much else has changed. or at least that’s what mark thinks.

for weeks, donghyuck has been too nervous to ask about them. about _what_ they were. he knew mark would have told him if he was interested in other people by now, but mark hadn’t had a significant love interest in a few months. until mark decided to come forward and say how _he_ felt about the situation, donghyuck refused to do anything about it, knowing he could ruin a lifelong friendship in an instant. but each day he continued on like this, his heart grew more and more tired, loving someone with such uncertainty.

...

a weekend later, hyuck found himself in mark’s arms. the older boy had his arms around donghyuck’s waist, his head buried in the redheads shoulder. donghyuck sighed, playing with mark’s fingers, lacing them between his own. he could feel mark’s lips on his neck every so often, leaving feather light kisses in a small trail across his neck. donghyuck got the sense he was tracing the pattern of moles on his neck, something mark enjoyed doing.

“mark, can i- can i ask you something?”

mark smiled against his neck, pressing one last kiss there before responding.

“of course hyuck,” he smiles.

“when you kiss me, do you mean it?”

mark props himself up on his elbow, donghyuck turning to face him.

“what do you mean?” the older boy frowned.

“like, do you want to kiss me,” dongyuck sighs, also frowning.

“of course i want do hyuck, why do you think i ask all the time?”

“yes but, what does it mean? why do you keep kissing me if we aren’t- if you-“

mark reaches his hand out to donghyuck, attempting to hold his hand. the younger boy flinches, pulling himself away from mark and facing away from him. donghyuck could feel his breathing getting heavy, his eyes burning with the tears that threatened to fall. this was not how he’d imagined the situation.

“donghyuck,” mark started.

“i’m an _idiot,_ this is all my fault,” donghyuck sighed, feeling the warmth of tears on his cheeks.

“donghyuck if i did something wrong _please_ tell me, it hurts me to see you like this,” mark pleaded, weary of touching donghyuck again. donghyuck pulled his knees to his chest, his breathing erratic. he couldn’t think straight, his thoughts all jumbled, making him dizzy. mark could see how quickly the younger boy was spiraling and immediately made his way to his side. donghyuck's face was buried in his knees, his sobs quiet but obvious from the way his body shook.

“fuck, donghyuck look at me. hyuck?”

the younger boy raised his head for a split second. his eyes were red and angry, his cheeks wet. when his eyes met mark’s he shook his head, scooting further away from the boy, and continuing his sobbing. mark took a deep breath, sitting on the end of his bed.

“hyuck, i’m gonna touch you okay,” he said carefully, placing a hand on donghyuck’s thigh. the boy only flinched slightly, but showed no resistance this time. mark carefully tugged donghyuck’s arms away from his face, pulling the younger boy close to his body. he was to tired to fight back, but his sobs grew louder as he shouted in protest.

“let go of me. I DON’T WANT YOU!”

mark felt a pang in his chest hearing donghyuck's protest, but it only made him hold on tighter.

“I SAID LET GO! I HATE YOU MARK LEE!”

mark sighed, tucking donghyuck's head under his own. he couldn’t do much but rub circles into his back, whispering gentle words to the younger boy in order to calm him down.

“it’s alright hyuck, i’m right here. i’m not leaving.”

“no i want you to leave,” the younger boy sobbed.

“you don’t love me,” he nearly whispered. mark had almost missed what he’d said, in between his sobs and panicked breaths.

“hyuck who told you that?”

“mark you’re hurting me,” haechan sniffles.

“god i’m sorry, where does it hurt?” mark pulls away from the younger boy, examining his body.

“everywhere. all the time. whenever you kiss me. it’s not fair mark. you- you aren’t my boyfriend, and yet we’ve been doing _whatever_ we’ve been doing for almost a month and a half. do you know how draining it is? being so close to the person you like and yet, not being with them?”

“i-“ mark was cut off by donghyuck, who paid him no attention.

“i told myself i’d only keep up with this because it’s the closest i’d get to having you i guess. but it’s hurting me mark. i can't continue like this. _please_ tell me how you feel.”

mark pulled donghyuck away from him, placing a hand on his cheek. when the younger boy met his eyes, all he could feel was hurt radiating from his gaze.

“it hurts me to see you like this hyuck, especially because of me,”

mark sighs, wiping the tears off donghyuck's cheeks. the younger tenses a bit in hearing the pet name.

“i’m so sorry hyuck. i’m sorry i made you feel this way. i would never mean to hurt you, you know that?”

donghyuck doesn’t respond, mark’s hand still wiping his tears. mark chuckles, hanging his head slightly.

“this isn’t your fault hyuck, if anything it’s mine. i should’ve spoken with you earlier, but i’d assumed we were dating since the first time you kissed me.”

donghyuck pulled away from the older boy, landing a swift punch to his shoulder. mark flinches but nods, accepting the blow.

“ _mark lee are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?”_

mark rubbed his shoulder, wincing a bit.

“you’ve been dating me in your _head_ for the past MONTH? are you stupid? god maybe i’m the stupid one. i can't believe this. i can't believe this!”

donghyuck laughed hysterically, his voice laced with sarcasm. mark frowned, unsure of how to react.

“you’re telling me this whole time i’ve been sad about you using me for _no reason_ ,” donghyuck sighed, shaking his head. his tears had stopped, but his cheeks were now flushed with red.

“hyuckie i'm so sorry.” mark laced his fingers with the younger boy, rubbing his thumb across it in soothing circles.

“what does this make us now?”

“you, lee donghyuck, full sun, the light of my life, and my best friend, are my boyfriend. and i’m all yours. only... only if you want that of course. i’d understand if you said no.”

donghyuck sniffs and wipes his tears, pouting.

“boyfriend...” the younger draws the word out, pretending to think hard about the proposition.

“i don’t know mark. you’re gonna have to make it up to me first,” he sighs, crossing his arms and sticking his nose in the air defiantly.

mark chuckles, pulling donghyuck to the edge of the bed. he cups the boys face in his hands, pulling his face closer. pressing a kiss to donghyuck’s nose. the younger boy grins, his arrogant facade fading.

“i’ll make it up to you every day hyuck, only if you’ll let me,” mark smiles back. donghyuck pouts, pretending to think about his answers. the older boy places a kiss on his forehead, causing donghyuck to wrinkle his forehead in feigned disgust.

“you’re cute, i couldn’t resist,” mark laughs in seeing the redhead’s response. the younger boy sighs, pulling mark in so their lips meet. he can feel the older smiling against his lips as he pulls his closer, tangling his fingers in mark’s hair.

as they pull apart, their foreheads press together, both wearing smiles that reach to their ears.

“i took some time to think about it, and i’ve decided that yes, i’ll be your boyfriend mark lee.”

“i was hoping you’d say that,” mark grinned, immediately tackling the boy to the bed, pressing kisses to anywhere he could reach on donghyuck.

because for as long as he could remember, mark liked a boy.


End file.
